Control signal generation circuit and non-volatile memory device including the same

ABSTRACT

A control signal generation circuit may include: a counting unit suitable for generating counting information; a first signal generation unit suitable for activating/deactivating a first signal based on the counting information, first rising information, and first falling information; a second signal generation unit suitable for activating/deactivating a second signal based on the counting information, second rising information, second falling information, and the first falling information; and a control signal driving unit suitable for driving a control signal in response to the first and second signals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority of Korean Patent Application No.10-2015-0045206, filed on Mar. 31, 2015, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Exemplary embodiments of this patent document relate to a semiconductordesign technology and, more particularly, to a control signal generationcircuit and a nonvolatile memory device including the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Semiconductor memory devices are divided into volatile memory devicesand nonvolatile memory devices. Volatile memory devices have higherwrite and read speeds, but cannot retain data without a constant sourceof power. Nonvolatile memory devices have slower write and read speeds,but can retain data even without a constant source of power. Therefore,nonvolatile memory devices are used to store data that must be retainedregardless of whether there is a constant source of power available.Nonvolatile memory devices include Read Only Memory (ROM), Mask ROM(MROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM),Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, Phasechange Random Access Memory (PRAM), Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM),Resistive RAM (RRAM), and Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM). Flash memory isdivided into NOR and NAND types.

Flash memory not only has the advantage of RAM, in that it may be freelyprogrammed or erased, but it also has the advantage of ROM, in that itcan retain data even without a constant source of power. Flash memory iswidely used as a storage medium in portable electronic device such asdigital cameras, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), and MP3 players.

In order to increase the data storage capacity of a memory device, morememory cells must be formed in a limited area. This means that the sizeof the memory cells needs to be reduced. However, since the ability toreduce the size of memory cells is limited, a three-dimensional (3D)memory device including memory cells that are vertically stacked on asemiconductor substrate has been proposed. In a highly integrated 3Dmemory device, signals are transmitted to different parts of the memorydevice through various transmission lines. However, when loading of thetransmission lines is increased, a mismatch may occur between thetimings at which the signals are transmitted, thereby negativelyinfluencing the operation of the memory device.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments are directed to a control signal generation circuitcapable of minimizing influence of a timing mismatch between signals dueto line loading by activating a signal for controlling a transistorcoupling half strings, in advance, and a nonvolatile memory deviceincluding the same.

Also, various embodiments are directed to a control signal generationcircuit capable of flexibly adjusting an activation or deactivationpoint of a control signal by activating or deactivating the controlsignal through two steps.

In an embodiment, a control signal generation circuit may include: acounting unit suitable for generating counting information by counting aclock during first and second periods; a first signal generation unitsuitable for activating a first signal when the counting information isgreater than or equal to first rising information during the firstperiod, and deactivating the first signal when the counting informationis greater than or equal to first falling information during the secondperiod; a second signal generation unit suitable for activating a secondsignal at a start point of the first period, deactivating the secondsignal when the counting information is greater than or equal to secondrising information during the first period, and activating the secondsignal when the counting information is greater than or equal to secondfalling information and deactivating the second signal when the countinginformation is greater than or equal to the first falling informationduring the second period; and a control signal driving unit suitable fordriving a control signal to a pre-active level when the first and secondsignals are activated, and driving the control signal to an active levelhigher than the pre-active level when the first signal is activated andthe second signal is deactivated, when a first mode is set.

In an embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device may include: a pipetransistor controlled in response to a pipe control signal; a first halfstring including a plurality of first memory cells coupled in seriesbetween a bit line and the pipe transistor; a second half stringincluding a plurality of second memory cells coupled in series between asource line and the pipe transistor; and a pipe control signalgeneration unit suitable for activating the pipe control signal throughtwo steps at time points set by first and second rising information anddeactivating the pipe control signal through two steps at time pointsset by first and second falling information during a read or verifyoperation, when a first mode is set.

In an embodiment, a control signal generation circuit may include: astorage unit suitable for storing first and second rising informationand first and second falling information; and a control signalgeneration unit suitable for pre-activating a control signal at a firsttime point set by the first rising information, activating the controlsignal at a second time point set by the second rising information,pre-deactivating the control signal at a third time point set by thesecond falling information, and deactivating the control signal at afourth time point set by the first falling information, when a firstmode is set.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control signal generationcircuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control signal generation unitillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a timing diagram for describing an operation of the controlsignal generation circuit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a 3Dnonvolatile memory device.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram illustrating a nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram for describing an operation of a pipe controlsignal generation unit of the nonvolatile memory device illustrated inFIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described below in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may,however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled inthe art. Throughout the disclosure, like reference numerals refer tolike parts in the various figures and embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control signal generationcircuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the control signal generation circuit may include astorage unit 110 and a control signal generation unit 120. Hereafter, afirst mode may refer to a mode in which pre-activation andpre-deactivation are used, and a second mode may refer to a mode inwhich the pre-activation and the pre-deactivation are not used. Acontrol signal PCG generated by the control signal generation circuit ofFIG. 1 may be activated or deactivated through two steps when the firstmode is set, and activated or deactivated through one step when thesecond mode is set.

The storage unit 110 may store first and second rising informationRISE1<0:M> and RISE2<0:M> and first and second falling informationFALL1<0:M> and FALL2<0:M>, where M is a natural number. When the firstmode is set, the first rising information RISE1<0:M> may determine apre-activation point of the control signal PCG, i.e., a first timepoint, the second rising information RISE2<0:2> may determine anactivation point of the control signal PCG, i.e., a second time point,the second falling information FALL2<0:M> may determine apre-deactivation point of the control signal PCG, i.e., a third timepoint, and the first falling information FALL1<0:M> may determine adeactivation point of the control signal PCG, a fourth time point. Thevalues of the respective pieces of information RISE1<0:M>, RISE2<0:M>,FALL1<0:M>, and FALL2<0:M> may be controlled.

As the values of the respective pieces of information RISE1<0:M>,RISE2<0:M>, FALL1<0:M>, and FALL2<0:M> are decreased, the time pointscorresponding to the respective pieces of information may be advanced.On the other hand, as the values of the respective pieces of informationRISE1<0:M>, RISE2<0:M>, FALL1<0:M>, and FALL2<0:M> are increased, thetime points corresponding to the respective pieces of information may bedelayed. For example, the first time point may be advanced as the valueof the first rising information RISE1<0:M> is decreased, and delayed asthe value of the first rising information RISE1<0:M> is increased. Thesecond rising information RISE2<0:M> may have a larger value than thefirst rising information RISE1<0:M>, and the first failing informationFALL1<0:M> may have a larger value than the second falling informationFALL2<0:M>.

When the first mode is set, the pre-activation may indicate an operationof changing the control signal PCG from an inactive level to apre-active level, activation may indicate an operation of changing thecontrol signal PCG from the pre-active level to an active level, thepre-deactivation may indicate an operation of changing the controlsignal PCG from the active level to the pre-active level, anddeactivation may indicate an operation of changing the control signalPCG from the pre-active level to the inactive level. For reference, thepre-active level may indicate a predetermined level between the inactivelevel and the active level. When the active level is higher than theinactive level, the pre-active level may indicate a predetermined levelhigher than the inactive level and lower than the active level, and whenthe inactive level is higher than the active level, the pre-active levelmay indicate a predetermined level higher than the active level andlower than the inactive level.

For reference, the storage unit 110 may include a plurality ofnonvolatile memory elements for storing the respective pieces ofinformation RISE1<0:M>, RISE2<0:M>, FALL1<0:M>, and FALL2<0:M. Thenonvolatile memory elements may include various elements such as fuses,anti-fuses, variable resistance elements, and floating gate elements.Furthermore, the storage unit 110 may store information on whether thefirst mode or the second mode is set, and generate a mode signal PCG_CONbased on the stored information. When the first mode is set, the modesignal PCG_CON may be activated, and when the second mode is set, themode signal PCG_CON may be deactivated.

The control signal generation unit 120 may generate the control signalPCG, and pre-activate, activate, pre-deactivate, or deactivate thecontrol signal PCG at a time point set by the information RISE1<0:M>,RISE2<0:M>, FALL1<0:M>, or FALL2<0:M>, when the first mode is set.Furthermore, the control signal generation unit 120 may activate ordeactivate the control signal PCG at a predetermined time point withoutpre-activating and pre-deactivating the control signal PCG, when thesecond mode is set.

The control signal generation unit 120 may pre-activate the controlsignal PCG at the first time point set by the first rising informationRISE1<0:M>, activate the control signal PCG at the second time point setby the second rising information RISE2<0:M>, pre-deactivate the controlsignal PCG at the third time point set by the second falling informationFALL2<0:M>, and deactivate the control signal PCG at the fourth timepoint set by the first failing information FALL1<0:M>.

More specifically, the control signal generation unit 120 may count aclock CK, compare the counting value (hereafter, referring to as“counting information”) with the respective pieces of informationRISE1<0:M>, RISE2<0:M>, FALL1<0:M>, and FALL2<0:M>, and determine thefirst to fourth time points. During a first period, the control signalgeneration unit 120 may pre-activate the control signal PCG when thecounting information is greater than or equal to the first risinginformation RISE1<0:M>, and activate the control signal PCG when thecounting information is greater than or equal to the second risinginformation RISE2<0:M>. Furthermore, during a second period, the controlsignal generation unit 120 may pre-deactivate the control signal PCGwhen the counting information is greater than or equal to the secondfalling information FALL2<0:M>, and deactivate the control signal PCGwhen the counting information is greater than or equal to the firstfalling information FALL1<0:M>.

For reference, the first period may indicate a predetermined periodwhich is set to perform an operation of changing the control signal PCGfrom an inactive state to an active state, and the second period mayindicate a predetermined period which is set to perform an operation ofchanging the control signal PCG from the active state to the inactivatestate. The first and second time points may be selectively adjustedwithin the first period, and the third and fourth time points may beselectively adjusted within the second period. In FIG. 1, a signal CNTENmay be activated during the first and second periods, and a signalRISERANGE may be activated during the first period.

When the second mode is set, the control signal generation unit 120 mayactivate or deactivate the control signal PCG in response to a signalPCGSEL. The control signal generation unit 120 may change the controlsignal PCG from the inactive state to the active state when the signalPCGSEL is activated, and change the control signal PCG from the activestate to the inactive state when the signal PCGSEL is deactivated. Whenthe second mode is set, the control signal PCG may be directly activatedor deactivated without passing through the pre-active level.

The active level and pre-active level of the control signal PCG maydiffer depending on an operation of a semiconductor device including thecontrol signal generation circuit. For example, suppose that the controlsignal PCG controls a pipe transistor in a nonvolatile memory device.The active level of the control signal PCG may be set to an erasevoltage when the nonvolatile memory device performs an erase operation,or set to a pass voltage when the nonvolatile memory device performs aread, program, or verify operation. Furthermore, the pre-active levelmay be lower by a predetermined level than the active level.

The control signal generation circuit may activate the control signalPCG through the steps, and control when the level of the control signalPCG is changed. Thus, the control signal PCG may have a waveformsuitable for a device controlled by the control signal PCG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the control signal generationunit 120 illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the control signal generation unit 120 may includea counting unit 210, a first signal generation unit 220, a second signalgeneration unit 230, a control signal driving unit 240, a firstselection unit 201, and a second selection unit 202.

The counting unit 210 may generate counting information CNT<0:M> bycounting the clock CK during the first and second periods. When thesignal CNTEN is activated, the counting unit 210 may count the clock CK.When the signal CNTEN is deactivated, the counting unit 210 may bemaintained in a reset state without counting. Thus, during the firstperiod, the value of the counting information CNT<0:M> may correspond tothe time which has elapsed from when the first period was started.During the second period, the value of the counting information CNT<0:M>may correspond to the time which has elapsed from when the second periodwas started.

When the mode signal PCG_CON is activated, the first signal generationunit 220 may generate a first signal INT_PCGSEL in response to thecounting information CNT<0:M>, the first rising information RISE1<0:M>,and the first falling information FALL1<0:M> during the first period.The first signal generation unit 220 may activate the first signalINT_PCGSEL when the counting signal CNT<0:M> is greater than or equal tothe first rising information RISE1<0:M> during the first period in whichboth of the signals CNTEN and RISERANGE are activated, and deactivatethe first signal INT_PCGSEL when the counting signal CNT<0:M> is greaterthan or equal to the first falling information FALL1<0:M> during thesecond period in which the signal CNTEN is activated and the signalRISERANGE is deactivated. The first signal generation unit 220 may bedisabled when the mode signal PCG_CON is deactivated.

When the mode signal PCG_CON is activated, the second signal generationunit 230 may generate a second signal 2STEP_PCG in response to thecounting information CNT<0:M>, the second rising information RISE2<0:M>,and the first and second falling information FALL1<0:M> and FALL2<0:M>.The second signal generation unit 230 may activate the second signal2STEP_PCG at a start point of the first period in which both of thesignals CNTEN and RISERANGE are activated, deactivate the second signal2STEP_PCG when the counting information CNT<0:M> is greater than orequal to the second rising information RISE2<0:M> during the firstperiod. Further, during the second period, the second signal generationunit 230 may activate the second signal 2STEP_PCG when the countinginformation CNT<0:M> is greater than or equal to the second fallinginformation FALL2<0:M>, and deactivate the second signal 2STEP_PCG whenthe counting information CNT<0:M> is greater than or equal to the firstfalling information FALL1<0:M>. The second signal generation unit 230may be disabled when the mode signal PCG_CON is deactivated.

The first selection unit 201 may select the first signal INT_PCGSEL whenthe mode signal PCG_CON is activated, and select the signal PCGSEL whenthe mode signal PCG_CON is deactivated. The second selection unit 202may select the second signal 2STEP_PCG when the mode signal PCG_CON isactivated, and select a ground voltage when the mode signal PCG_CON isdeactivated.

When the first mode is set, the control signal driving unit 240 maydrive the control signal PCG to the pre-active level when both of thefirst signal INT_PCGSEL and the second signal 2STEP_PCG are activated,and drive the control signal PCG to the active level when the firstsignal INT_PCGSEL is activated and the second signal 2STEP_PCG isdeactivated. The control signal driving unit 240 may drive the controlsignal PCG to the inactive level when the first signal INT_PCGSEL isdeactivated. When the second mode is set, the control signal drivingunit 240 may drive the control signal PCG to the active level when thesignal PCGSEL is activated, and drive the control signal PCG to theinactive level when the signal PCGSEL is deactivated.

The control signal driving unit 240 may include an activation voltagegenerator 241 and a signal driver 242. The activation voltage generator241 may generate activation voltages VSRC1 to VSRC3 which have theactive level when the second signal 2STEP_PCG is deactivated, and havethe pre-active level when the second signal 2STEP_PCG is activated. Theactivation voltages VSRC1 to VSRC3 may have the active level when thesecond signal 2STEP_PCG is deactivated, and have different pre-activelevels lower by a predetermined level than the active levels when thesecond signal 2STEP_PCG is activated.

For example, when the active levels of the activation voltages VSRC1,VSRC2, and VSRC3 are respectively set to 1V, 2V, and 3V and thepredetermined level is set to 0.5V, the activation voltage generator 241may generate the activation voltages VSRC1, VSRC2, and VSRC3 of 1V 2V,and 3V when the second signal 2STEP_PCG is deactivated, and generate theactivation voltages VSRC1, VSRC2, and VSRC3 of 0.5V (1V-0.5V), 1.5V(2V-0.5V), and 2.5V (3V-0.5V) when the second signal 2STEP_PCG isactivated.

When the first mode is set, the signal driver 242 may drive the controlsignal PCG to a deactivation voltage, for example, the ground voltage,having the inactive level, for example, a ground voltage level, when thefirst signal INT_PCGSEL is deactivated, and drive the control signal PCGto an activation voltage selected from the activation voltages VSRC1 toVSRC3 when the first signal INT_PCGSEL is activated. Each of theactivation voltages VSRC1 to VSRC3 may be selected when a correspondingoperation signal of operation signals OP<1:3> is activated. For example,the activation voltage VSRC1 may be selected when the operation signalOP<1> is activated, the activation voltage VSRC2 may be selected whenthe operation signal OP<2> is activated, and the activation voltageVSRC3 may be selected when the operation signal OP<3> is activated. FIG.2 illustrates an example where three types of activation voltages aregenerated. However, one or more types of activation voltages may begenerated depending on design.

When the second mode is set, the signal driver 242 may drive the controlsignal PCG to the deactivation voltage when the signal PCGSEL isdeactivated, and drive the control signal PCG to the activation voltagewhen the signal PCGSEL is activated.

FIG. 3 is a timing diagram for describing an operation of the controlsignal generation circuit of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, the operation of the control signal generationcircuit is described using waveforms of the signal CNTEN, the signalRISERANGE, the first signal INT_PCGSEL, the second signal 2STEP_PCG, andthe control signal PCG.

When the signal CNTEN is activated, the counting unit 210 may generatethe counting information CNT<0:M>. At a start point of a first periodEN1 in which both of the signals CNTEN and RISERANGE are activated, thesecond signal 2STEP_PCG may be activated. During the first period EN1,the first signal INT_PCGSEL may be activated when the value of thecounting information CNT<0:M> is greater than or equal to the firstrising information RISE1<0:M> at a first time point T1, and the secondsignal 2STEP_PCG may be deactivated when the value of the countinginformation CNT<0:M> is greater than or equal to the second risinginformation RISE2<0:M> at a second time point T2.

During a second period EN2 in which the signal RISERANGE is deactivatedand the signal CNTEN is activated, the second signal 2STEP_PCG may beactivated when the value of the counting information CNT<0:M> is greaterthan or equal to the second falling information FALL2<0:M> at a thirdtime point T3, and the first signal INT_PCGSEL and the second signal2STEP_PCG may be deactivated when the counting information CNT<0:M> isgreater than or equal to the first falling information FALL1<0:M> at afourth time point T4.

The control signal PCG may be pre-activated to a pre-active levelPRE_ACT_LV from an inactive level INACT_LV at the first time point T1,activated to an active level ACT_LV from the pre-active level PRE_ACT_LVat the second time point T2, pre-deactivated to the pre-active levelPRE_ACT_LV from the active level ACT_LV at the third time point T3, anddeactivated to the inactive level INACT_LV from the pre-active levelPRE_ACT_LV at the fourth time point T4.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a 3Dnonvolatile memory device. For convenience, interlayer dielectric layersare not illustrated in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, the 3D nonvolatile memory device may include a pipechannel PCH buried in a pipe gate PG, a source-side half channel SCH,and a drain-side half channel DCH. The source-side half channel SCH andthe drain-side half channel DCH may be connected to the pipe channelPCH. The source-side half channel SCH, the pipe channel PCH, and thedrain-side half channel DCH may form one full channel CH.

The memory device may further include source-side word lines S_WL anddrain-side word lines D_WL. The source-side word lines S_WL may bestacked while surrounding the source-side half channel SCH, and thedrain-side word lines D_WL may be stacked while surrounding thedrain-side half channel DCH. The source-side word lines S_WL and thedrain-side word lines D_WL may extend in parallel to a first directionI-I′. Furthermore, a source select line SSL may be formed over thesource-side word lines S_WL and a drain select line DSL may be formedover the drain-side word lines D_WL.

Source-side channels SCH of strings ST adjacent in a second directionII-II′ may be connected to one source line SL, and drain-side channelsDCH of strings ST extended in the second direction II-II′ may beconnected to one bit line BL.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram illustrating a nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5illustrates one string including a source-side half channel SCH, a pipechannel PCH, and a drain-side half channel DCH.

Referring to FIG. 5, the drain-side half channel DCH may include memorycells M0 to M3 and a drain select transistor DST. Each of the memorycells M0 to M3 may be implemented with a transistor including a floatinggate. The pipe channel PCH may include a pipe transistor PT. Thesource-side half channel SCH may include memory cells M4 to M7 and asource select transistor SST. Each of the memory cells M4 to M7 may beImplemented with a transistor including a floating gate.

In the above-described embodiment, the number of word lines WL0 to WL7is set to 8, and the number of memory cells M0 to M7 included in onestring is set to 8. However, this is only an example, and the number ofword lines and the number of memory cells included in one string may be32, 64 or the like.

The pipe transistor PT may be controlled by a pipe control signal PCGgenerated through a pipe control signal generation unit 510. The pipecontrol signal generation unit 510 of FIG. 5 may correspond to thecontrol signal generation circuit of FIG. 1. Between the pipe transistorPT and the pipe control signal generation unit 510, a control signaltransmission line may couple the pipe control signal generation unit 510to a gate of the pipe transistor PT, and transmit the pipe controlsignal PCG from the pipe control signal generation unit 510 to the gateof the pipe transistor PT.

A first half string HST1 corresponding to the drain-side half channelDCH may include a drain select line DSL and the plurality of memorycells M0 to M3 coupled in series between the pipe transistor PT and thebit line BL. A second half string HST2 corresponding to the source-sidehalf channel SCH may include a source select line SSL and the pluralityof memory cells M4 to M7 coupled in series between the pipe transistorPT and the source line SL. The pipe transistor PT and the first andsecond half strings HST1 and HST2 form a U-shaped 3D full string.

When the first mode is set, the pipe control signal generation unit 510may activate the pipe control signal PCG through two steps at timepoints set by the first and second rising information RISE1<0:M> andRISE2<0:M>, and deactivate the pipe control signal PCG through two stepsat time points set by the first and second falling information FALL1<0:Mand FALL2<0:M>, during a read or verify operation. Hereafter, a programoperation, a verify operation, an erase operation, and a read operationof the nonvolatile memory device will be described as follows.

[Program Operation]

Hereafter, a program operation for programming the memory cell M0 willbe taken as an example. During the program operation, a power supplyvoltage or ground voltage may be applied to the bit line BL according tothe logic value of program data. The power supply voltage may be appliedto the drain select line DSL and the source line SL, a pass voltage forturning on memory cells may be applied to the unselected word lines WL1to WL7, a program voltage corresponding to a high voltage greater thanor equal to 15V may be applied to the selected word line WL0, and theground voltage may be applied to the source select line SSL. The memorycell M0 may be programmed when the voltage of the bit line BL is theground voltage, and not programmed when the voltage of the bit line BLis the power supply voltage. Furthermore, the pass voltage may beapplied to the pipe transistor PT.

[Erase Operation]

During the erase operation, an erase voltage corresponding to a highvoltage of 15V may be applied to the bit line BL and the source line SL.At this time, a high voltage having a lower level than the erase voltagemay be applied to the drain select line DSL and the source select lineSSL, and the erase voltage may be applied to the pipe transistor PT.Furthermore, the ground voltage may be applied to the word fines WL0 toWL7. Then, as Gate Induced Drain Leakage (GIDL) occurs in the drainselect transistor DST and the source select transistor SST, holes may beinjected into the channel. As a result, the data of the memory cells M0to M7 may be erased.

[Read or Verify Operation]

The read operation is to output data of a selected memory cell inresponse to a read command, and the verify operation is to output dataof a selected memory cell to verify whether the selected memory cell wasproperly programmed. Thus, during the read and verify operations,similar voltages may be applied to the bit line BL, the source line SL,a selected word line, and unselected word lines. Hereafter, the read orverify operation when the memory cell M0 is read or verified will betaken as an example.

A predetermined precharge voltage of 1V, for example, may be applied tothe bit line BL, and the ground voltage may be applied to the sourceline SL. Furthermore, a select voltage capable of turning on acorresponding transistor may be applied to the drain select line DSL andthe source select line SSL. Furthermore, a read voltage or verifyvoltage for checking whether a threshold voltage of the selected memorycell is higher than a predetermined level may be applied to the selectedword line WL0, and a pass voltage may be applied to the unselected wordlines WL1 to WL7 and the pipe transistor PT. When the threshold voltageof the memory cell M0 is lower than the read voltage or verify voltage,a current path may be formed through the string ST including the memorycell M0. When the threshold voltage of the memory cell M0 is greaterthan or equal to the read voltage or verify voltage, no current path maybe formed through the string ST including the memory cell M0. Thus, avoltage drop of the bit line BL or a current flowing from the bit lineBL to the source line SL may be detected to determine the data value ofthe memory cell M0.

When the program operation or erase operation is performed, the pipecontrol signal PCG may be activated to the pass voltage or erase voltagefrom the ground voltage through one step, or deactivated to the groundvoltage from the pass voltage or erase voltage through one step. Duringthe read or verify operation, however the pipe control signal PCG may beactivated to the pass voltage from the ground voltage through two steps,or deactivated to the ground voltage from the pass voltage through twosteps. The pipe control signal PCG will be described below in detailwith reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram for describing an operation of the pipecontrol signal generation unit 510 of the nonvolatile memory deviceillustrated in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 6, the operation of the pipe control signal generationunit 510 is described using waveforms of the signal CNTEN, the signalRISERANGE, the first signal INT_PCGSEL, the second signal 2STEP_PCG, andthe control signal PCG. In FIG. 6, a reference numeral ‘UNSELWL’represents a voltage waveform of the unselected word lines WL1 to WL7,and a reference numeral ‘SELWL’ represents a voltage waveform of theselected word line WL0.

The signal CNTEN may be activated during an enable period EN1 and adisable period EN2, and the signal RISERANGE may be activated during theenable period EN1. The enable period EN1 may correspond to the firstperiod and the disable period EN2 may correspond to the second period.The enable period EN1 may indicate a period which is set to activate thepipe control signal PCG during the read or verify operation, and thedisable period EN2 may indicate a period which is set to deactivate thepipe control signal PCG during the read or verify operation. The enableperiod EN1 may last for several micro seconds (μs) before and after theunselected word lines UNSELWL and the selected word line SELWL areenabled, and the disable period EN2 may last for several micro seconds(μs) before and after the unselected word lines UNSELWL and the selectedword line SELWL are disabled.

At a start point of the enable period EN1 in which both of the signalsCNTEN and RISERANGE are activated, the second signal 2STEP_PCG may beactivated. During the enable period EN1, the first signal INT_PCGSEL maybe activated when the value of the counting information CNT<0:M> isgreater than or equal to the first rising information RISE1<0:M> at afirst time point T1, and the second signal 2STEP_PCG may be deactivatedwhen the value of the counting information CNT<0:M> is greater than orequal to the second rising information RISE2<0:M> at a second time pointT2.

During the disable period EN2, the second signal 2STEP_PCG may beactivated when the value of the counting information CNT<0:M> is greaterthan or equal to the second falling information FALL2<0:M> at a thirdtime point T3, and the first signal INT_PCGSEL and the second signal2STEP_PCG may be deactivated when the counting information CNT<0:M> isgreater than or equal to the first falling information FALL1<0:M> at afourth time point T4.

The unselected word lines UNSELWL may be activated to a pass voltageV_(PASS) at a predetermined time point during the read or verifyoperation, and deactivated to the ground voltage at a predetermined timepoint after the read or verify operation is completed. The selected wordline SELL may be activated to a read voltage V_(READ) or verify voltageV_(VERIFY) at a predetermined time point during the read or verifyoperation, and deactivated to the ground voltage at a predetermined timepoint after the read or verify operation is completed.

The control signal PCG may be pre-activated to a pre-active levelPRE_ACT_LV from an inactive level INACT_LV at the first time point T1,activated to an active level ACT_LV from the pre-active level PRE_ACT_LVat the second time point T2, pre-deactivated to the pre-active levelPRE_ACT_LV from the active level ACT_LV at the third time point T3, anddeactivated to the inactive level INACT_LV from the pre-active levelPRE_ACT_LV at the fourth time point T4. The active level ACT_LV maycorrespond to the level of the pass voltage V_(PASS), the pre-activelevel PRE_ACT_LV may correspond to a level obtained by subtracting apredetermined level from the active level ACT_LV, and the inactive levelINACT_LV may correspond to a ground voltage level.

Referring to FIG. 5, the pipe control signal PCG may be pre-activatedbefore the unselected word lines UNSELWL and the selected word lineSELWL are enabled, and pre-deactivated before the unselected word linesUNSELWL and the selected word line SELWL are disabled. In the 3Dnonvolatile memory device of FIG. 4, distances between the word linesWL0 to WL7 and the control signal transmission line through which thecontrol signal PCG is transmitted may differ. Due to a loadingdifference between the word lines WL0 to WL7 and the control signaltransmission line through which the control signal PCG is transmitted, atiming mismatch may occur between the signals. The nonvolatile memorydevice of FIG. 5 may selectively control the time points at which thepipe control signal PCG is pre-activated, activated, pre-deactivated,and deactivated, thereby minimizing the timing mismatch between thesignals.

For reference, the pieces of information RISE1<0:M>, RISE2<0:M>,FALL1<0:M>, and FALL2<0:M> may be set to values at which the timings ofthe control signal PCG and the signals transmitted to the respectiveword lines are reliably matched based on a test result, after a testoperation on the nonvolatile memory device is performed.

In accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, the controlsignal generation circuit may activate the signal for controlling atransistor coupling half strings of a nonvolatile memory device throughtwo steps, thereby minimizing the influence of timing mismatch betweensignals due to line loading.

The control signal generation circuit may activate or deactivate thecontrol signal in two steps, and selectively control the activation ordeactivation point.

Although various embodiments have been described for illustrativepurposes, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control signal generation circuit comprising: acounting unit suitable for generating counting information by counting aclock during first and second periods; a first signal generation unitsuitable for activating a first signal when the counting information isgreater than or equal to first rising information during the firstperiod, and deactivating the first signal when the counting informationis greater than or equal to first falling information during the secondperiod; a second signal generation unit suitable for activating a secondsignal at a start point of the first period, deactivating the secondsignal when the counting information is greater than or equal to secondrising information during the first period, and activating the secondsignal when the counting information is greater than or equal to secondfalling information and deactivating the second signal when the countinginformation is greater than or equal to the first falling informationduring the second period; and a control signal driving unit suitable fordriving a control signal to a pre-active level when the first and secondsignals are activated, and driving the control signal to an active levelhigher than the pre-active level when the first signal is activated andthe second signal is deactivated, when a first mode is set.
 2. Thecontrol signal generation circuit of claim 1, wherein the second risinginformation is greater than the first rising information, and the firstfalling information is greater than the second falling information. 3.The control signal generation circuit of claim 1, wherein the countingunit is disabled during periods other than the first and second periods.4. The control signal generation circuit of claim 1, wherein the controlsignal driving unit drives the control signal to an inactive level whenthe first signal is deactivated.
 5. The control signal generationcircuit of claim 1, wherein the control signal driving unit comprises:an activation voltage generator suitable for generating an activationvoltage having the active level when the second signal is deactivatedand having the pre-active level when the second signal is activated; anda signal driver suitable for driving the control signal to adeactivation voltage having an inactive level when the first signal isdeactivated, and driving the control signal to the activation voltagewhen the first signal is activated.
 6. The control signal generationcircuit of claim 1, wherein the values of the first and second risinginformation and the first and second falling information are adjustedbased on a test result.
 7. The control signal generation circuit ofclaim 4, wherein, when a second mode is set, the control signal drivingunit drives the control signal to the active level when a third signalis activated, and drives the control signal to the inactive level whenthe third signal is deactivated.